Buick Regal GS gets the thumbs-up for production

Earlier this year, during a live chat on GM’s FastLane Blog, former Buick/GMC General Manager Brian Sweeney told us that General Motors has no plans on doing a coupe or sport wagon version of the new 2011 Buick Regal. However, Sweeney reaffirmed GM’s interest in bringing the high-performance Regal GS sedan to the market.

Speaking to The Detroit News,Tom Stephens, vice chairman of global product development, confirmed that the Regal GS has been approved for production; however, he did not offer details on when we can expect to see the model in showrooms.

The production Regal GS is expected to stay close to the concept version shown at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, including the 255-hp 4-cylinder turbo, 6-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive.

Back in January when Sweeney was asked whether or not GM will offer the Regal GS with the 325-hp 2.8L Turbo V6 found in the Opel Insignia OPC (AWD), he said: “At 255hp with 0-60 in less than 6 seconds we think we”re in good shape.”

As for the Regal sedan itself, the model is currently being imported directly from Germany and 25 units have been sold so far.